Serena, Night Stalker
by NoFangYou
Summary: Okay, I know that it's not exactly Van Helsing verbatim, but it's my oc, one who lives in a different world, but does the same things. Enjoy. I own all of the characters, so no suing!
1. Chapter 1

There is a lot about me that people don't know. They don't want to. It makes them feel secure that I'm here, but they don't care about who I am, just what I do. Upon my mantle are many titles. Murderer, Protector, Hero, Villan, Woman, Monster, but the most common of all is Nightstalker, the most respected and feared in all of Tibetria.

My life, my job, my hobby, is to kill. Death follows me, and it has taken all I love. My name is Serena, and don't forget it. It may just be the last thing you ever say.


	2. Chapter 2

Many call me by my title, but none call me by my given name. My name is Serena, and I have no family. They were all killed when the Mikara attacked my home. I refused to die, if only to slay the family of those who had slain mine. I took upon myself the role of Night Stalker, a tradition among my people since the night the Mikara were allowed into our midst.

It was a living nightmare. My sisters and I had gone out picking flowers. We tied the colorful bloom together and set them on our heads like halos. I stayed behind for a little over an hour, since my head was a little larger than my nine-year old sister's. I was too far away to hear the alarm ring clear through my village. Upon my return to the place I called my home, it was strangely silent. I walked into the house I had been in since birth to find my angels, my beautiful sisters, lying motionless on the ground, the flowers ruined and scattered through their blond-stained blonde hair. Holding back my tears, I went the kitchen, where I assumed my parents would be crying. Instead, their fate was as horrible as that of my sisters, their lives' fluid running silently down non-responsive bodies. I was too preoccupied with weeping to notice the shadow creep out of my own bedroom. It seemed to know that it had not slain all of my family. I heard the almost metallic sound of its claws expanding like a sword being pulled slowly from its sheath.

I spun, my hand on the pummel of my dagger in an instant. Though I knew that the short dagger would not help against the claws of the Mikara, I stabbed forward, hitting only open air. I felt a sharp pain in my back, and I knew that I was dead. I pushed my fingers into the spot on my dress and looked to my fingers, finding them covered in blood. I fell to the ground, too weak to remain upright. The Mikara left, thinking I was dead. My white linen dress was no match for the dagger that had failed my moments before. I applied the sliver of fabric to the gaping hole slightly below my ribs, and screamed at the horrible sensation. I looked to the candle, and say the flame flicker as my world went black.

I'm assuming my villages' doctor found me lying there. I awoke groggy, and was told it had been three days since my living nightmare.

"You're lucky to be alive. You shouldn't be." The village doctor sounded reproachful.

I knew. How could I not? There was a lot of whit light and a gentle ethereal singing coming from beyond.

Beyond what? I couldn't say. It was as if everything was near yet somehow far away. Loud, yet softer than the cotton-like tail of a rabbit. Painful, yet more soothing than a cool cloth on your forehead when you're running a fever. Yeah, I knew I should be dead, yet I was still here.

There was still pain. Oh, yes, there was pain. When I sat up for the first time, it felt as though I had been shot. Although there was no mark of damage sitting below my ribs, and I was astonished at the amount of the work they had put into my healing.

"How many…survived." It hurt to even talk.

"Eight. You are the only surviving female."

That was why. I was the only girl. I tried to block out the images and pin that haunted me, and turned my attention to the doctor. He smiled and I went cold inside. How could he smile at a time like this? This was a time for crying, for screaming, for hate. I pout down the shoulders of my gown and belted them to my arms. I felt the tears slide down my cheeks as I embraced the sign of womanhood. I looked away form the good doctor so that he wouldn't see my tears, and my blue-black hair clung to the moisture. I was a woman, and the only one left in my village. They would come soon, seeking marriage and the repopulation of my village.

No, I wouldn't let them. I was committed to remain my own person. No man would control me. I wouldn't let them.


	3. Chapter 3

Serena, Nightstalker

Chapter 2

And I didn't, but that was long ago. The memories sharp edges have dulled and the pain has subsided. I haven't forgotten, but how could I? But the more I remember, the less I feel. The less I feel, the more I slay. The more I slay, the more I remember. I live in a continual cycle, forever burying myself deeper until, finally, I stop feeling, and my body stops moving. Until that happens, my goal is to slay as many Mikara as physically possible. While vengence still runs strong, I still feel pain at the final stare and the utterance in their final breath, "Nightstalker".

Later, I cry. Not from the kill, but for the children of my victims. They feel the same pain I did, and they may grow up to share my horrid fate.

I laid in my bed on a cold winter night to the alarm bell ringing distantly. I grabbed my engraved longsword from my nightstand and let "Serena" glitter in the candlelight.

"I'm sorry Da. I know you wanted me to protect myself with this, not make others need to use one of their own." I recited my apology, as I always do when the bell rings.

I ran into the village crying, knowing what I'll have to do. There was a line-up of children, tied up with rope. On the end was a boy my age.

"What is the meaning of this?" I bellowed at the mayor, who was cowering behind the children.

"N-n-n-Nightstalker! These children were found in the woods alone. They are believed to be Mikara." His voice grew stronger the longer he spoke, but still shivered in fear.

"You obviously know nothing of the Mikara, as is obvious. My dears," I softened my voice so as not to frighten the younger ones. The older boy looked at me with large, hollow green eyes. "Are any among you over eighteen? Don't be shy, I won't hurt you." I sheathed my dagger to prove the point, and reached for the littlest's hand. She looked frightened. I cut her chains with my dagger, and brazenly placed her on my hip. "What's your name, Little One?"

"Alaina, ma'am."

"Call me Serena." The name felt strange on my lips, like a forbidden fruit finally bitten. I ignored it. "How old are you Alaina?"

She held up six fingers. I sat down on a well and picked up a little boy, sitting both children on my lap. "What's your name, young master?"

"Kypel, Mrs. Serena."

"Well, Kypel, I am a miss. I'm not married."

"But you wear the belts of marriage!" Alaina looked up at me in astonishment.

"Well, I'm the last girl here, that makes me a woman. I live over there on that hill." I pointed and set Alaina and Kypel down.

I walked to the boy with the hollow eyes, "How old are you?"

He was silent. I pulled out my dagger. "I have killed beings far larger, older and stronger than you. I would rather not kill you. Now, I asked you a question."

"I am fifteen." I was right.

"I am fifteen as well. The question is, have you been branded?"

"I have not." His eyes were still hollow and no trace of fear or emotion showed on his face.

"Really?"

"It's true."

"What is going?" The mayor had grown frustrated as we whispered.

"What is going on, Mayor, is that Mikara aren't turned until their eighteen. A week before their sixteenth birthday, they are branded with the 'Mark of the Wolf'. It's a pawprint on the inside of the wrist. See," I flipped over his right wrist, revealing unblemished flesh. "this boy has not been branded. These children are not a threat."

"Will the boy..."

"No, he will not change without the mark. They will never harm us."

The group disbanded, and I cut their ropes. "Anyone who is an orphan may come to live with me. If you know where your parents are, you may leave."

Noone moved,and Alaina reached for my hand. "Our parent were killed in the Clan War. They attacked at night, while we were asleep. Lymal has taken care of us since." Her voice was pained.

"All ten of you are orphans?"

Lymel spoke audibly and indignation and respect shone in his eyes. "We numbered fifteen at the beginning of the year. SInce then, two were killed, and three died of an illness. My brother was among the killled." He sounded hurt.

"Who killed them?"

"A woman. She's feared in our culture because of her youth, speed, and stealth. My father was reveared as the man that almost killed her. I was sickened by that knowledge."

"Why?" I pushed him harder, wanting to know what he knew.

"Because I saw her. I was in her house when he stabbed her. He had killed her family, just for sports, and met up with the girl with the girl while she was crying. He saw her dagger, and ran her through trying to protect me. He thought she was dead, and cried me back to our village on his shoulders. We were celebrated, and I was sick that night. The Liortna was beautiful, that night in her cottage. I'm sorry her family is dead." He hung his head, and I felt moisture run unbidden from my eyes. I remembered his father, and was touched that he was sickened by his fathers act. I pulled his chin up.

"I forgive you." His eyes flashed, and he stepped back. "I have never killed children. I couldn't bring myself to do it." I whispered in his ear. "But I will help you find the one who did."

Alaina grabbed my leg. "Serena, can we stay at your house? It's so cold outside." I turned away from Lymel.

"Come along children. We will build a fire to rival the destruction of Ortoy. (A/n a sort of anagram of Troy) All will be warm tonight."

I picked up Alaina and we walked the little one to the house at the top of the hill. I looked back before we left the village to see Lymel still standing in the town square. "Are you coming? I promise not to run you through while you're sleeping." I cried out jokingly.

He stood still, and I whispered in Alaina's ear. I set her down, and she grabbed a hold of Lymel's hand. "Come on, Slowpoke! Serena has food!"

He looked down at her and smile. Slowly, he began to move up the hill toward me. "I have a barn attached to my house. You and the children can set up beds in the hay." I pushed Alaina ahead, and she took up walking beside Kypel.

"The door locks if you don't trust me. I only kill for revenge, and only if they attack first, which they always do. You and the children will be safe as long as you don't pull a weapon on me. I will slit your neck with no hesitation, as I said before."

"Understood, Liortna."

"What does that mean anyway?"

"Vengeful Spirit." He sounded grim.

"Oh." I stopped, and Lymel walked in front of me.

"You coming? I promise not to run you through while you're sleeping."

He was getting comfortable enough with me to joke around. That might be a good thing? The problem is, was it?

I caught up with him again, and said, "So you have a sense of humor. But, can you run?"

I took off toward the house, running as fast as I could. I was no snail, having chased my victims through the woods for years. Yet, there he was, running right beside me. I picked up the pace, challenging him to follow. He met my pace, and issued a challenge of his own. I pushed myself to the limit. We hit the house at the same time. We collapsed together, and breathed deeply. "Good race, Liortna. The legends don't lie. You are swift."

I scoffed. "Then what does that make you?"

"The fastest runner in my village." he laughed, but I heard the bitterness in his voice.

"What happened to your village. Surely you saw."

"They came at night while we were asleep just as Alaina said. My father was awake, due to a few injuries on his thigh getting infected. They tore into my house, and my fathers final cry awoke my mother." His eyes clouded over, remembering what he so desperatly wanted to forget. "She rushed into my room, and hurried me outside. 'Take care of the children, my son, as you are the oldest,' she told me. I ran around the village twice, awakening all I could. All of the children made it out, except for two families. The watchers' children, and the warriors'. They were the first killed. I went back for my mother, only to find her killer standing over her, fresh blood on her claws." By this time, tears were falling freely down his face, and I put a hand on his shoulder. I didn't interrupt, though. Once you stop, it's hard to start back up again. "We did nothing to the other clans. It was well-known that we were neutral parties in the War. My mother, Liortna, was killed by my fiancee.


	4. Chapter 4

Serena, Nightstalker

Chapter 3

Rest and Remembering

I stared for a second, trying to fully process the information just given to me, then blinked. "Your fiancee? But you're only 15!"

"As the oldest child of a peaceful village, it was my obligation to wed an older female child in a group threatening war against us. I am free from that promise, as they broke their part of the treaty. I am relieved, as she was a blood thirsty wench."

I resumed my staring and, apparently, my blinking in astonishment.

"That really is a show of weakness, Liortna, to blink rapidly in succession. Surely you were promised when your family was killed?"

I shook my head. "I became a hermit almost right after the incident. Most asked, but the offers halted after I took up the job I continue."

He muttered incoherently, almost too low for my heightened hearing, as I walked inside. The word that left his lips were, "Why do you kill my race?"

I whispered to myself, knowing that he couldn't hear me through the shut door. "Because if I don't, they'll come after mine."

The orphans were sitting in a circle by the fire, holding hands. Alaina, skipping round the circle, went round and tapped each head, muttering "duck."

As I approached, Alaina tapped Kypel on the crown sharply and screeched "goose!" as if it were the most exciting thing in the world.

Kypel chased Alaina around the children until she saw me standing there. She came to an abrupt halt, and quieted.

Kypel, unaware of her halt, ran right into here, knocking Alaina to the ground, and fell on top of her small frame. The room vibrated in laughter, and Kypel pulled himself swiftly off the little girl.

"Are you okay?" He reached for her hand to help her to her feet.

"I'm fine." She accepted his hand and dusted herself off, blushing a crimson red.

I pulled her to the side gently, and looked into her eyes. "Do you like Kypel?"

"Of course I..." Her eyes widened. "Oh. Is it really that easy to tell?"

"I'm just experienced."

"He's two years older than me!"

"So? I say that you should go for it. You make your own happiness."

"Or sorrow." Lymel came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder. "There is someone outside looking for you. He has flowers. He looked shocked when I just walked in."

I scoffed. "Vincel."

"Should I get rid of him, my lady?"

"My lady? Didn't I ask all of you to call me Serena?"

"You did! I heard it!" Alaina looked at Lymel. "What's wrong with you? Serena's been nice to us when we thought that noone else would." She seemed almost too wise for her six years.

"I'll get rid of him myself. He comes by every week, and I can't get rid of him, no matter how hard I try."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" He smiled maniacally, and I shoved him into the closet.

I walked to the door, hesitating before opening it to the cold. "Hello Vincel."

"Oh! You're home! Who was that guy who opened the door? Are you cheating on me?"

"First, he's a client, and currently locked in the closet. Second, we're not dating, so I can't be cheating on you."

His face fell, and I felt guilty. Not guilty enough to do something about it, but guilty.

"Are those for me?" I pointed to the flowers, which were a blend of orchids and roses.

"Yeah." He said, brightening.

"I'll go get a case. I'll be right back." I scurried in, closing the door. By this time, Lymel was out of the closet and had my mothers favorite crystal vase in his right hand, the water pitcher in his left. He handed them to me, and my fingers brushed his palm.

A tingle shot up my spine, warming me inside and out. I felt the blood rush to my face, and felt a blush creep from my collarbone to my hairline. That was crazy! _I am Nightstalker! Feared by all and loved by none, remember?! I don't blush!_

It hit me then, hard. I wanted someone to love me. I wanted someone to come home to, someone to hold my hand while I cried. I wanted to love someone.

I turned from him then and walked back to the door and Vincel. "I've suddenly taken ill. Thank you very much for the flowers. They're beautiful."

"You're welcome, Nightstalker." My heart went cold. "Would you like to go out sometime? I know you've refused me before, but I thought..."

"No Vincel. There's no chemistry between us. I'm sorry."

"That's all right. I still think you're beautiful."

"That she is." Lymel and Alaina came up behind me, Lymel grabbing my waist and Alaina gripping my leg.

"Mommy, come back inside! I got the fire going!"

"Good for you! Come on, honey, or the meal will burn. Goodbye, friend of my wife."

Lymel closed the door on a stunned Vincel. I waited a few minutes before turning on him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! I wanted him gone, not scared to death! Besides, " I calmed down a bit in tone, but not temper. "What in the world makes you think that I would marry you, Son of My Enemy?" I mimicked his earlier words.

"Because I'm irresistible." He didn't miss a beat, not even to think about what I had said, or what I had called him.

I pulled Alaina into my arms. "What did he give you to go along with that fiasco, my dear?"

"Just a little something." From behind her back she pulled a bar of chocolate that I had bought in town two days prior.

"That's it! Back in the closet!" I shoved him in, and locked the door quickly. I heard him hit the back wall and hit the vacuum. I pulled the chocolate from Alaina's hand gently and broke it into eight pieces, shoving a small square into my mouth before handing a piece to each child.

"Liortna! Let me out!" Lymel pounded on the door, and I smirked. After five minutes of pounding, he ceased. "Serena, please." I opened my mouth to refuse, then realized what he had called me. I opened the door, and the limp form of Lymel spilled out, nearly falling on top of me. He was breathing heavily.

"What's wrong with you?" I looked at him.

"Claustrophia." I shut my mouth and apologized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." he held up a hand.

"No problem. I probably deserved it." I raised an eyebrow. "Okay. I definetly deserved it."

"Damn straight." I growled.

"Are you allowed to swear, Serena? I thought women weren't allowed to swear without permission from their..." Recognition dawned in Kypel's eyes. "Oh."

"Okay everyone! There is a barn right there." I _pointed _to the door, "that I have never used. You can use hay to make your beds. I have to go get enough blankets for everyone. I'll be right back. Don't let anyone in. Anyone. Got it?" All of the orphans nodded.

I took off down the walk and ran into town, I went for the quilts form my grandmother's chest in our old house, and began to cry at the little stains left from the dried blood and the marks in the well from the Mikara's claws.

_Lymel's father did this. I wonder where he hid?_

I ran my fingers over the wall just as I had done when I was younger, tracing the claw marks with my hand. I went to my old bedroom and looked more carefully than I had in previous years, since the pain had been too great. There was a little blood in the one corner. Probably dripping from those lethal claws, the ones that had nearly taken me with my family. Those accursed things must have been the reason for the relocation.

I looked at the wall, seeing something I hadn't. There was a little heart carved into the floor. Inside was an "S" and the beginning of an "O".

A tear fell down my cheek an landed in the center of the "O".

_Lymel._

When I got home, noone was in sight, and the barn was empty. I pulled out my sword and walked into the shadow of the spare room. Footsteps sounded behind me, and I whirled around, executing the perfect stop thrust.

I nearly lost my balance, simply because I hit only open air. There was no doubt in my mind that there was someone in the barn with me, but who?

I heard a giggle to my right, and sheathed my sword. I sifted through the hay bale to discover Alaina hiding there, her hands covering her hair, and she had quieted. I placed a hand under her chin, and lifted her head. "Are you okay, _mija._" I fell back on into my second language, Spanish.

"What does that mean? Me-jah?" She blundered the word, and I laughed.

"_Mija,_ Alaina. It means 'Dear One'."

"Am I your 'dear one' Serena?" She looked up at me, and her eyes sparkled.

"_Si, _Alaina. You're my _mija_." I hugged her close and noticed the chill of her skin.

"Why are you out in the barn? It's cold and here, and no place for a young girl such as you. Go, warm yourself by the fire."

"I can't. We're playing hide-and-go-seek."

"Well, you stay here then, but take this." I handed her a blanket and kissed the top of her head.

I heard someone else moving around. I dove into the next hay bale and pulled out a shell-shocked Aurora. "How did you find me? I was well-hidden!"

"Sweet, if I relied more on my eyes then I did on my ears, I'd be dead by now. Go bury yourself again. Take this and wrap up, though. It's getting cold."

I dashed around the house, finding more and more concealed refugees. I handed a blanket to each child and went to seek the seeker. Who else could it be but Lymel?

I found him sitting in my den, a white box on his lap, and an object in his hands.

"Aren't you supposed to be searching for the children?"

"I'm trying to find a hidden child, just not one of the ones that forced me to be 'it'."

"What are you talking about?" I took another glance at the object in his lay, and the ones in his hands. I froze when I realized what they were. _My photo albums._

"Give them back!"

"Why?" He looked strange, almost as if he weren't himself.

"Because those are mine, and I'd really like to keep them private." I folded my hands across my chest.

"I really don't care."

"You do know that I have a sword, right?"

"You do know that I have your photo albums right?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"They make great body guards, no?"

"Why are we talking in questions?" I moved a step closer to him.

"How should I know?" He stepped closer to me, the albums laying forgotten on the couch. He reached for me, and I was tempted to back up.

"What are you doing?" He grabbed my arm and suddenly dragged me nose-to-nose with him.

"Why are you so afraid of your past?"

"Why are you so afraid of your future?" I countered.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Neither did you."

"Fine. Let's call it a draw." He shrugged.

"Fi-." Before I could finish speaking his lips were sealed over mine, and his hands were on the small of my back.

Instinctively, my hands went around his neck, but I was cursing myself inside. _Why didn't I see this coming? I'm the Nightstalker, feared by all! My intuition and instinct are faster than a rabbits! _Then it dawned on me just as hard as the last realization had. I didn't want to stop him. I wanted this. When we stopped, we were both short of breath

He went to apologize, but I held up a hand. "Don't. Then I might begin to regret it."

His eyes shined. "Now get to looking you lazy bum! I found all the children already. Hopefully, they're hidden better than they were."

He left through the door without a word, and I plopped down onto one of the couches, all the while rubbing my temples. _Why me?_


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while!!! If you wanna read some of the new stuff I've been working on, you can just go to soraskairi. this is the site where I've been posting all my OF!!!

Thanks guys!!!

Sora's Kairi


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